Photography by John Umberger
Home by Barna Log Homes of Georgia
The old adage, “Success is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration,” rings all too true for Irene and Matthew Witt.
Their perfectly designed log home in the mountain town of Ellijay, Georgia, is certainly a success; but not without a dash of ingenuity and some large helpings of sweat equity.
And yet the home came to be almost on a lark. The couple wasn’t in the market for a new house, but a realtor friend introduced them to a gorgeous 6-acre parcel in the Northern Georgia mountains that Irene and Matthew simply fell in love with. Once they had their land, Irene knew that a log home would fit the property perfectly.
“I think it’s an incredibly romantic notion,” she gushes. “I always wanted to live in a log cabin, and the setting was just right.” And since Matthew’s a builder, he and Irene had a lot of creative ideas they wanted to incorporate into their new log home. They also knew who to go to for their designer and log provider: Michael Grant, owner of Barna Log Homes of Georgia in Ellijay.
“We talked to a lot of different folks, but we knew Michael Grant,” says Irene. “He’s a wealth of knowledge and had so many resources for us. He was so helpful at every step of building our log home.”
Michael worked with Matthew and Irene to come up with a design that was low in square footage, but high in efficiency and style. First and foremost, Irene desired a great room that adjoined the kitchen. “We like to do a lot of entertaining. So we wanted a layout where you still could be a part of the gathering, even if you were cooking,” she explains.
The team found a Barna stock plan that was close to the Witts’ dream home and modified it to fit the home site. “We moved the fireplace from the corner—where it would block views of the mountains—to the middle of the great room, tucked behind the stairwell,” Matthew recalls. They also ended up flipping the plan to take advantage of the sweeping vistas.
With the design of the 3-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath home complete, the DIY duo was ready to build. Using 6-by-12-inch, square white pine with dovetailed corners, Matthew spent about 10 months building the 1,901-square-foot cabin with the help of two of his cousins. Though Matthew has been in the building industry for nearly 20 years, this home was his first log structure. And, to create an additional challenge, the three-man crew built the entire home without the use of a crane.
“Normally, log home projects have a crew of 5 to 8 men. But Matthew and his cousins did it all by breaking their backs,” Irene says with a chuckle. “This is the only home that I’ll build that way,” Matthew admits.
But building your own home certainly has its perks. “Being the homeowner and the builder, the most fun I had was coming up with the last-minute changes we were able to make,” Matthew says. Indeed, much of the home’s creative touches came from final-hour tweaks.
Matthew’s massive pick-up truck necessitated a wide clearance for the couple’s charming drive-through portico. So, rather than trim them, Matthew used the full length of the beams Barna provided in order to create a bigger berth. During the construction process, Matthew’s cousins teased him for hoarding all of the wood scraps. But, in the end, he was able to create an elaborate balcony railing from the leftovers. He also carved out a few art nooks behind the fireplace and on the staircase to display the couple’s collectibles. Irene had her hand in the home, too, by faux-finishing the ceilings and some of the walls and also by designing a stunning mosaic countertop on the kitchen island.
Michael credits Matthew’s craftsmanship and Irene’s creativity for the success of the home. “With log homes, the quality of the construction is staring you in the face; you don’t get to hide your mistakes behind drywall,” Michael says. “There’s real attention to detail in the interior architecture of this home.”
“There’s a lot of personality in the house,” Michael continues. “It’s immediately comfortable when you walk through the door.” Indeed, the Witt’s home is a testament to their inspiration and their perspiration. And this successful home wouldn’t have been possible without both.
